1 killed, 75 injured during Jallikattu in Madurai | Latest India News

1,100 bulls and 900 bull tamers took part in the event, according to officials familiar with the situation.

Police said the deceased was identified as the bull tamer, 22-year-old B. Naveen Kumar, who was gored by the bull.

“Kumar succumbed to his injuries at Government Rajaji Hospital (GRH) in Madurai,” the officer said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Madurai district collector MS Sangeetha said, “Seventy-five people sustained injuries and were sent home after treatment. Only one person died when a bull punctured his lungs.

“Of the 75 injured, almost 25 had serious stitches. The condition of all the injured is stable,” the collector added.

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The police assured that all security measures were in place.

However, visuals that appeared on social media and local TV channels showed Kumar allegedly entering the arena carrying his infant son while the bull was being released.

HT contacted district officials who did not respond to a request for comment.

However, the celebrations were not subdued and the enthusiasm of the participants during the event was palpable.

The best bull received a prize worth a tractor ₹11 lakh and the best bull tamer received a car worth ₹8 lakhs. Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan (PTR), who is also the MLA from Madurai Central constituency, presented the awards.

More than 2,000 police officers were deployed to the event and security was tightened, including bomb squads, metal detectors and drone surveillance.

The visual materials that were released also revealed that one of the injured participants refused to be admitted to hospital and allegedly argued with the police. When the officer insisted that he undergo a medical examination, the participant, who was connected to intravenous fluid, stood near the ambulance and tried to convince him, “By the time I leave, Jallikattu will be over. Now I feel good.

The tradition of the sport of taming bulls is deeply rooted in the Tamil people.

Jallikattu will also be held on Wednesday and Thursday at Palamedu and Alanganallur in Madurai respectively.

In January last year, Prime Minister MK Stalin inaugurated the Jallikattu Stadium, built at a cost ₹63 crore in Madurai. The sport was temporarily banned in Tamil Nadu from 2014 to 2016 following a Supreme Court order.

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After massive protests against the ban in 2017, Tamil Nadu enacted the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Tamil Nadu Amendment) Act, 2017 and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Jallikattu Procedure) Rules, 2017 to invalidate the ban.

Political parties and sections of the state say Jallikattu is part of Tamil Nadu’s tradition and culture and should be continued.

In May 2023, the ruling DMK and the opposition AIADMK took credit for the verdict of a constitutional bench of the Supreme Court that affirmed Tamil Nadu’s law allowing Jallikattu.

But it was expelled AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam who introduced this ordinance when he was the chief minister in 2017.